ANZ’s Support Of Agribusiness Recognised With Major Award

New Zealand’s agribusiness sector is an economic powerhouse for the country, contributing billions of dollars to GDP. And right now, the industry is undergoing rapid change as it pivots to more sustainable practices and reduces its carbon footprint.

Within this context, business partnerships with banking providers are increasingly important. Banks are supporting the sector with financial products that reflect the industry’s changing needs. Canstar recognises the value of this support with its coveted Agribusiness Bank of the Year Award.

This year, the Canstar assessment panel considered five providers to come up with the winner, which we’re proud to announce is ANZ!

Jose George, Canstar New Zealand General Manager, said given agribusiness’ value to the country, it was important to recognise banks that underpin its growth. “Our farmers are hugely valuable to our country, as are our ambitions for the sector to innovate and show global leadership for a sustainable future.

“Doing this requires support from across many parties, including our banks. ANZ is a clear leader in this space, with its generous offers and flexible terms. We know from our research that ANZ’s customers appreciate this support. Congratulations to the team for this award!”

ANZ New Zealand Business Banking Managing Director Lorraine Mapu said the primary and export sectors played a vital role in driving economic prosperity and the bank was committed to supporting primary industries not just now, but long into the future. “We’re delighted to have again been recognised for our commitment to the New Zealand agri sector with this award.

“Farming has always been a changing business and farmers have seen a shift in consumer preferences and international market demand, especially around sustainability, traceability and environmental footprints, and regulations always change.

“We recognise the huge amount of work our primary sector has put in to adapt; as New Zealand’s largest lender to agriculture ANZ has for many years been providing targeted lending to farmers that supports a move towards more sustainable operations.

“We're proud to work together with our customers to build economically sustainable, resilient farming businesses that we are confident can farm well into the future,” Ms Mapu said.

The Canstar panel were impressed by numerous elements of ANZ’s products and services. In particular, they underlined its employee volunteer tree-planting programme, flexible overdraft account, free transactions, and flexible term loan facility with split and switch options. The panel also noted that interest was earned as soon as accounts were in credit, while ANZ also offered a low-rate business credit card, high-earning flight rewards card and wide call centre availability. Furthermore, the bank provides additional products such as insurance, investments, and multi-product discounts.

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